Warner Bros: "The Movie-Based Games Business Is Broken"

Games Have To Stand By Themselves

There's nothing more likely to illicit an agonised groan from veteran gamers than the dreaded movie tie-in game. These titles tend to have a (well-earned) reputation for being shoddy and rushed - and Warner Bros. has suggested that the entire state of play is "broken." Batman: Arkham Asylum and upcoming Arkham City prove that movie licenses work well if handled with respect, and the company believes that games have to stand on their own rather than relying on impulse sales.

Speaking to the LA times, Warner Interactive president Martin Tremblay stated that the movie tie-in business is completely broken, and that licensed games should only be developed if they can stand tall on their own merits.

The movie-based games business is broken, and for teen-targeted titles, we're going to try and distance ourselves from the movies so the game stands by itself.

What we have in common with our movie counterparts is that we're following a tent-pole strategy. We're making the serious investments it takes to build franchises, and we don't just want to release good games, we want to be sure that we make a statement. - Martin Tremblay, president of Warner Interactive

Hear hear. Let's hope that Lord Of The Rings: War In The North will bear that in mind... and that Paramount will aspire to the same ethic with The War Of The Worlds and their Star Trek tie-in.